Chapter 466: Concubine
The young eunuch leading the way walked briskly: "Ladies, when crossing the Jinshui Bridge, step with your left foot first, and don't step on the threshold."
"There are many rules in the palace. The two ladies need to be more careful and not offend the nobles."
This little eunuch is kind-hearted... Lin Zhiqing knew the rules of the palace and did not look around, but just observed briefly.
After passing through three palace gates and bypassing the Nine Dragon Wall, they arrived at the warm pavilion in the side hall of the Yuchen Palace where the banquet was held.
More than twenty women from prominent families have gathered here, all of whom are from families of nobles or important officials.
On the rosewood stand in the corner of the warm room, there were several pieces of Persian brocade. The royal blue background was woven with grape patterns in gold thread, which attracted a few ladies to discuss in low voices.
As soon as Lin Zhiqing and Lin Yangyang sat down, the palace maid served them fragrant tea. The teacup was made of sweet white porcelain as thin as a cicada's wing, and a lotus pattern was faintly visible at the bottom of the cup.
Lu Nanyue, who came in later, came over quietly:
"I just saw the dancers that the envoy brought with him. They had paper-wrapped gold flowers in their hair. They looked very valuable."
"Golden flower? What a luxury." Lin Yangyang said, "These Daliang people are really high-profile."
Just as Lin Zhiqing was about to speak, he heard footsteps outside, and there were about ten people.
The footsteps attracted the attention of the people in the warm room, and everyone turned around.
There were two rows of palace maids at the door, and a beautiful woman in palace dress came out from the middle.
She was wearing a smoky-colored silk dress embroidered with gold threads. The hem of the skirt dragged on the ground, and the lotus pattern embroidered with gold thread gently undulated.
Everyone around took a deep breath.
"Empress Rong is here!"
I don't know who shouted this, but everyone knelt down.
"May your Majesty Rong be safe and sound."
Rongpin walked slowly forward surrounded by the crowd. When she passed by Lin Zhiqing, she paused slightly, as if she was looking at something.
Lin Zhiqing looked calm and behaved properly.
Rongpin took a glance and continued walking forward.
"Get up." Only after she sat down did she call everyone up in a gentle voice.
Lin Zhiqing slowly stood up and stood at the back.
This Concubine Rong is not easy to get along with. She is the daughter of Marquis Anping and the elder sister of Princess Pingning.
Princess Pingning and Lin Zhiqing are rivals, and Lin Zhiqing certainly doesn't want to cause trouble for himself.
After all, Concubine Rong is still in great favor and is the only one among the nine concubines with a title. She is not someone who is easy to offend.
Concubine Rong sat at the top, chatting with everyone in a random manner.
Princess Pingning came forward and said something to her, which made her laugh so hard that she shook.
Lin Zhiqing felt the malicious gaze of Princess Pingning and frowned slightly.
The next moment, Rongpin raised her hand and fiddled with the jade bracelet on her wrist, then said:
"Where is the second young lady of the Changning Marquis's Mansion?"
In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on Lin Zhiqing.
Lin Zhiqing smiled and stepped forward slowly: "Your humble servant greets the Empress Rong. May the Empress Rong live in peace and happiness."
"Oh, she is really a lovely girl!" Rongpin smiled like a flower:
"Pingning often mentioned you to me, and I thought no one could possibly win the Spring Banquet. But now that I've met Miss Lin, I know you're the real winner."
Her tone was gentle and there was no hint of hostility in her words, which could easily make people feel good about her - if Lin Zhiqing was not kneeling.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Lin Zhiqing answered fluently without any hesitation.
She remembered that she had learned before that Concubine Rong was chosen by the emperor through the Spring Banquet and was selected into the palace.
Rongpin smiled and said a few words to Lin Zhiqing, which made the people around her agree with her.
But she never let Lin Zhiqing get up.
Everyone could see at this moment that Lin Zhiqing was clearly being targeted, but no one spoke up for her.
Since we are in the palace, naturally the people in the palace have the final say.
Lin Yangyang saw this scene from afar and gritted his teeth:
"This Concubine Rong must have been instigated by Princess Pingning. No, I can't stand by and watch Sister Qing suffer!"
As she spoke, she was about to step forward.
"Are you crazy?" Lu Nanyue grabbed Lin Yangyang's hand:
"If you go up there, you'll be ignorant of the rules. If you're caught, you two will definitely be punished tonight."
"What should we do?" Lin Yangyang was extremely anxious. When had her younger sister ever suffered such an injustice?
Lu Nanyue pursed her lips, feeling anxious. She looked around and saw the old lady of the Bachelor's Mansion at a glance.
Her eyes lit up. Lin Zhiqing had business dealings with the scholar's mansion and had a good relationship with the old lady's granddaughter Hua Jianyun. She thought he would ask for help.
Thinking of this, Lu Nanyue pulled Lin Yangyang and quietly moved to the side of the old lady in the Bachelor's Mansion.
But before they could open their mouths, the old lady started talking to the lady next to her, as if she didn't see them.
Lu Nanyue and Lin Yangyang's faces instantly darkened.
They all realized that the old lady didn't want to pay attention to them, which meant she didn't want to help Lin Zhiqing out of trouble.
Seeing that Lin Zhiqing had been kneeling for almost a cup of tea, Lu Nanyue and Lin Zhiqing looked at each other and both understood each other's thoughts.
We can’t let Lin Zhiqing kneel like this forever.
The two of them stepped forward side by side.
"This servant pays respects to Concubine Rong. Your Majesty, the Emperor and the envoys are already seated in the main hall."
A gentle yet majestic voice sounded.
"Madame Li from the Queen's household is here."
Lin Zhiqing heard someone say this.
Immediately, Rongpin smiled, stood up and walked out.
When she passed by Lin Zhiqing, she widened her eyes slightly:
"Second Miss Lin, I was talking to another lady just now and forgot about you. Please get up quickly."
Lin Zhiqing smiled slightly: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Concubine Rong smiled gently and walked outside.
Lin Yangyang and Lu Nanyue quickly walked up to Lin Zhiqing and helped him up.
"Sister Qing, what happened?" Lin Yangyang asked.
Lu Nanyue was also very anxious: "Xiao Qing'er, are you okay?"
The two of them had a lot to say, but they knew that this place was crowded with people and had to keep it to themselves.
Lin Zhiqing shook his head: "Nothing."
As soon as Rongpin arrived, she gave her a warning, obviously following the instigation of Princess Pingning.
Fortunately, Lin Zhiqing can endure it.
If you lose your composure in this place, you will inevitably be charged with the crime of insubordination.
However, kneeling cannot be in vain.
Her eyes are sharp and her gaze is as bright as a torch.
After rubbing their knees, the three of them followed the eunuch leading the way to the main hall of Yuchen Palace.
Only after everyone was seated did Lin Zhiqing have time to observe his surroundings.
The Yuchen Palace is very large. At first glance, it is about the size of a small garden, and there are many people inside.
Lin Zhiqing immediately caught sight of Lu Huai and the others sitting opposite him. Their eyes met briefly, then quickly shifted away.
While eating, Lin Zhiqing raised his eyes and looked at the emperor and empress sitting on the high throne.
This was the first time Lin Zhiqing met the emperor.
The emperor of Dasheng was in poor health and had not attended court for a long time.
But today, Lin Zhiqing saw that his face looked normal, with a majestic look like an emperor, and there was no sign of illness between his eyebrows.
But on second thought, this makes sense.
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